A vengeance mission without a heart of stone to house all the regret that comes with it is dangerous.
A woman who falls in love with heart and mind becomes as dangerous when she gets non in return and acts out of conscious and regret follows suit when the pain subsides after realising that love is like a butterfly.
You don't have to run after love, it will fly away from you. Once you are settled, love comes and settles on your shoulders.
This was the realisations dawning on Mariam as she waited silently for the man of her dreams to come, no it should be, the once man of her dream.
Maybe then, it was a teenage mind that led her to just allow any random man to screw her.
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The ride to the mango tree was a silent one, the motorist only had to follow directions ad no more talking.
The passenger he was carrying was one of a different kind, one who never conversed, no, who never talked out loud.
He, Joe, seemed to be taken away by a stream of thoughts flowing like River Tana as it graces its way from mount Kenya to the Indian Ocean.
Joe had a mixture of confusing questions, where what, why, hows...all this came in quick successions like rain drops.
No answers, they were as rhetorical as always.
He even found himself cursing and clicking ones or twice. This made the motorist realise that a man in thought is like a cocked gun ready to shoot.
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When he got to the scene, he paid off the motorist and faced the woman he had adored and thought of a forever with. This no longer applied, he wanted to end this and he had a way to it.
He found no need to hold onto an old string and promise himself a heaven he will never enjoy. In spite of that he would end up falling into a deep abyss with no one to rescue him yet he saw it coming. He was not ready to love with his mind and heart. He wanted to use his mind to guide the heart into love.
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When he eventually went near her, the woman looked so calm and composed, something that was contrary to his expectations. He thought she would be apologising the moment she saw him, alas! What a wrong turn out.
He had forgotten that this woman is a hard nut to crack.
You cant read her minds whether she is scared or tense, sure or not sure. In all instances she wore the same empty expression that hid her inner feelings.
Yea his weapon, the baby, was in her arms. That was the last nail to seal the coffin that would burry their relationship.
He made to smile at the corner of his mouth but the smile was left hanging, maybe to be continued later.
The sun was burning hot and the temperatures were high, but the frozen atmosphere around the scene was ice cold, the antagonism was tangible.
It was hard to understand how the long time childhood friends, now had less than nothing to celebrate together. The left overs were to be discarded today.
After the formal greetings and what have you, there was silence.
"mmh, how was your journey?" She asked to break the silence that was bringing discomfort
"T'was kinda safe, yea it was cool, how about yours?"
"How about mine, really Joe!" She wanted to exclaim but rather said, " we didn't travel, we walked... it was 'safe' too" She stressed the safe to show that he was not acting as expected, that was not as friendly as expected.
"Okay it was cool, I mean I travelled safe. Hold on a second, you said you travelled safe, as in plural. Where is the other person?" He asked acting like looking for the person around. This astonished Mariam the most because even though they were not cool, this didn't mean he should assume some things.
"Joe, cant you..." She wanted to say see but rather glanced at the baby she held in her arms, all this while Joe was just standing there as if he was a stranger.
" oh, sorry...I see, sorry for my ignorance" he made like to blush but within a twist of a second brushed off that across his face. This time he was not ready to loose guard, and get caught pants down.
" Will you please..." she said glancing at an empty space on the log she was seating on for him to sit and continued, "or you don't feel tired standing there like a flag post"
"Of course I am tired, please may I sit. What is the name of the baby?"
"Joe, what's wrong with you? You fave the name then ask what the name of the baby is?" She was getting pissed off by Joe's behaviour acting absent minded.
"Did I! I don't remember" He shook his head.
"Take her." Mariam said handing the baby to Joe. Maybe he'd come to senses after. holding 'his' baby.
Hoe took the baby and he didn't hesitate to have a look. Yea, the baby was beautiful. He examined the little one as if looking for something. He was caught unawares.
He wore a mixture of confusion and disbelieve, the baby resembled him fully, from the kinky hair, a small round face, eyes, ears...even the lips were exactly his.
He was speechless, this turned out to be a frozen mint.
There was not even a single aspect of Maina in the baby as he had thought.
Baby Mabel, he even remembered the name. All his plans now vaporised and he was left in a dilemma. This was his, no doubt.
All this while Mariam was keen to see the reaction of her prey. Her weapon worked excellently. She was safe.
Joe looked from the baby to the mother and back to the baby and was silent, a silence of defeat.